In the first article, “The World Wide Web: Interfaces, Databases, and Applications for Education” by Richard Repp, there are several pros and cons listed to using databases in the classroom. The first pro listed was that databases can help streamline information and be quickly and easily accessed on the internet. Repp also suggests using File Maker to create pre- and post-tests to evaluate student progress with subject material. There are some simple formats for databases, but there are also fancier ones, too. Repp suggests using “more complicated procedures for web gateways when: A teacher is maintaining web pages that change frequently, such as calendars and schedules, when two or more people need to update databases or webpages, and when a teacher has information that is better presented in a nonlinear or searchable manner.” Databases can be problematic in some cases, though. Sometimes storage space is an issue, as well as student privacy. Repp closes by suggesting that educators who are serious about using databases in their classrooms invest in either File Maker Pro or Claris Home Page 3.0.
The second article, “The Database: America’s Presidents” by Beth Holmes details how databases are a unique technological tool to implement in the classroom. Holmes states that databases are valuable because they play into children’s natural curiosity and desire to collect and classify things. If children are eager to collect baseball cards and Barbies, she argues, why not have them collect information? Holmes continues her case by adding that while students used to be able to get away with just reading, writing, and arithmetic, students now need the “Six C’s: Compute, communicate, conclude, confirm, categorize, and classify.” Students need to understand how to synthesize information in an increasingly tech-driven world. Databases “make sense of collections” and help students “arrange, sort, filter, and manipulate data.” Indeed, databases seem to be a unique way to gather data that would be interesting to implement in the classroom.
The last article, “Bells and Whistles: Organizing Data for Whole-Class Use” by Jessica Kahn offered a few more tidbits of info on databases. One reason to use databases, Kahn asserts, is that you can even use them in one computer classrooms. What you need to do is organize the class so that they can all contribute information. Then you design the database form, and ask database questions about relationships among bits of information. This encourages higher order thinking, as students must consider relationships between types of information and also consider how to organize the information: in a pop-up menu, value-list, check-box, field-as-text, number, date-time, or yes-no format. With so many options to choose from, it is guaranteed that you will involve the entire class and also encourage critical thinking.
Until I completed this assignment, I had no idea that databases had such a wide range of uses. They are unique in their ability to synthesize data and to get a group of individuals involved in the gathering and processing of information. I think databases would be a good way to get students involved in the class, and I will consider using them in my future classroom.
Friday, May 16, 2008
Bridging the Digital Divide and Wikis
The article “Bridging the Digital Divide: A Building Block For Teachers” by Colleen Swain and Tamara Pearson offered some reasons why there is a divide in the use of computers in different classrooms. Despite the obvious, such as a divide of income and availability of technology (such as how many computers are available) there was also the interesting point that part of the problem is how computers are used. One such problem is access to computers. Citing teacher complaints that most computers were located in locked computer labs, the authors argue that not only do labs limit student access to computers, they also give off the impression that using computers is something special rather than a necessity in education.
The authors suggest that teachers focus their energies on how to best use the computer(s) in their classrooms. If there is only one computer in their classroom, they are advised to place it a central location where everyone has equal access to it. If there are several computers, they should be arranged in work stations where everyone has equal access. I have seen this layout in classrooms when doing classroom observations and it seems to work well.
Another topic of discussion is what software is being used on the computers. Rather than using “canned” software, the authors suggest using products that have students create their own activities, which would foster higher-level thinking. This is an interesting concept to consider.
Lastly, the authors leave us with a few questions: How are the computers in our classrooms organized? Who uses them, and when? What do they do on the computers?
Wikis are an interesting way to share information. I now understand Wikipedia better. Basically, with a wiki you create a page and can invite others to join in posting information on a given subject. In our wiki, we created a page for educators with guidelines on computer usage, copyright information, and ethics. We also included educational links. I think wikis also provided a better form for communication than Google docs did. I think I may use wikis in my future classroom for online group assignments.
The authors suggest that teachers focus their energies on how to best use the computer(s) in their classrooms. If there is only one computer in their classroom, they are advised to place it a central location where everyone has equal access to it. If there are several computers, they should be arranged in work stations where everyone has equal access. I have seen this layout in classrooms when doing classroom observations and it seems to work well.
Another topic of discussion is what software is being used on the computers. Rather than using “canned” software, the authors suggest using products that have students create their own activities, which would foster higher-level thinking. This is an interesting concept to consider.
Lastly, the authors leave us with a few questions: How are the computers in our classrooms organized? Who uses them, and when? What do they do on the computers?
Wikis are an interesting way to share information. I now understand Wikipedia better. Basically, with a wiki you create a page and can invite others to join in posting information on a given subject. In our wiki, we created a page for educators with guidelines on computer usage, copyright information, and ethics. We also included educational links. I think wikis also provided a better form for communication than Google docs did. I think I may use wikis in my future classroom for online group assignments.
Splicing Video into the Writing Process
The ISTE article, “Splicing Video into the Writing Process” by Tammy Pandina Scot and Diane Harding, offered several useful tips for student generated videos in the classroom. The first suggestion they made was to use news report formats, which would cut down on the use of elaborate scenery and costumes. Simply put, students should report what happened. Genres they suggested were mystery and history. Students could either report the facts on a crime that happened (and present a Sherlock Holmes story or an Agatha Christie novel) or report on a historical event that happened, such as the civil war.
The authors also included questions to consider in the video process, such as: What facts need to be included in the video? What different viewpoints need to be represented? How can the emotions and feelings of people be recreated? The authors also suggested showing the finished products to parents at a movie night.
The authors also included questions to consider in the video process, such as: What facts need to be included in the video? What different viewpoints need to be represented? How can the emotions and feelings of people be recreated? The authors also suggested showing the finished products to parents at a movie night.
imovie Continued
imovie filming was interesting. I found that it was rather restrictive to have such a small crew and not many locations available. Our group had three people, including myself, and two of Jeanne’s kids who acted the roles of students. We used an empty classroom for filming and completed the entire movie there. We took turns filming, since there weren’t any scenes with the three of us in it together. It was kind of interesting to get to film as well as act, because it provided two different viewpoints to me. As an educator, I would be more sensitive to student concerns either as the cinematographer or as the actor/actress.
I also enjoyed figuring out how to incorporate our product in the commercial. We created a commercial trying to sell Inspiration Software (which we re-named Motivation). I helped with the close-up scenes showing how to use Inspiration and the links we put in it.
I think if I used imovie in my classroom I would choose a sample video to show to my class first. Then I would explain project requirements using a detailed rubric from rubistar. I would also provide an example of a storyboard. My students would have a workshop prior to filming, to hopefully streamline the process.
Overall, I feel imovie is a valuable tool to use in the classroom and I will likely use it my future class.
I also enjoyed figuring out how to incorporate our product in the commercial. We created a commercial trying to sell Inspiration Software (which we re-named Motivation). I helped with the close-up scenes showing how to use Inspiration and the links we put in it.
I think if I used imovie in my classroom I would choose a sample video to show to my class first. Then I would explain project requirements using a detailed rubric from rubistar. I would also provide an example of a storyboard. My students would have a workshop prior to filming, to hopefully streamline the process.
Overall, I feel imovie is a valuable tool to use in the classroom and I will likely use it my future class.
Copyright and imovies
Copyrights can be confusing and infuriating. For example, the use of video in the classroom can be very restrictive. While it is good that educators be accountable for why they are showing a film in the classroom (by having to explain how it fits into the curriculum) it can still be frustrating if they cannot show a whole film that would benefit the classroom. Of course, it partly depends on the film and the film company. Disney tends to guard their products more closely and therefore it is more difficult to incorporate their films into a classroom. One way I remember that Disney films were used at my high school was in the foreign language department. After tests, our classes sometimes watched Aladdin or The Lion King in Spanish. I think if our instructors had to explain themselves they could successfully argue that watching these films caused students to have to translate the dialogue and therefore encouraged them to think on a higher level.
I’m still not sure about some copyright issues. Suppose a church wanted to sponsor a free movie night for the community? Would they be violating copyright law by showing a free film to the public?
Copyright issues aside, I would like to discuss imovie. I was pretty amazed at what could be done with the imovie software. Our group filmed for about 25 minutes and out of that 25 minutes, only about four minutes of film were used! Still, it was incredible to see how movies really are made, and how they can be used in the classroom. I enjoyed working on the storyboard concept and gathering the props the most, although filming itself was fun. I think with today’s students being so technology oriented videos would be more interesting to them than simple lectures. Also, I found out that educators and students can win awards for their videos! Ivie (Innovative Videos in Education) is a huge organization that offers awards to student and teacher generated videos. I think it may be worth looking into in the future.
I’m still not sure about some copyright issues. Suppose a church wanted to sponsor a free movie night for the community? Would they be violating copyright law by showing a free film to the public?
Copyright issues aside, I would like to discuss imovie. I was pretty amazed at what could be done with the imovie software. Our group filmed for about 25 minutes and out of that 25 minutes, only about four minutes of film were used! Still, it was incredible to see how movies really are made, and how they can be used in the classroom. I enjoyed working on the storyboard concept and gathering the props the most, although filming itself was fun. I think with today’s students being so technology oriented videos would be more interesting to them than simple lectures. Also, I found out that educators and students can win awards for their videos! Ivie (Innovative Videos in Education) is a huge organization that offers awards to student and teacher generated videos. I think it may be worth looking into in the future.
Websites For Educators
The first website I visited wasn’t fancy, but it was very informative. It was created by a math teacher and included an exhaustive list of resources for teaching math. There were probably close to 100 sites listed! I chose it as an example for other educators, because although it isn’t fancy, it is very comprehensive. http://www.sitesforteachers.com/resources_sharp/math/math.html#Math
The second site I visited, http://jimmoulton.org/1.html featured a bunch of sites just for teachers. Many seemed to be designed by other educators, and the main purpose of each was to use technology in the classroom.
I liked http://www.somers.k12.ny.us/intranet/Web_des/Web_PageHOME.html because it featured suggestions for educators when creating their own webpages.
I really liked the webpage design on Google. It was easy to use, and it although it took me awhile to complete my webpage, I learned a lot about web design. Perhaps the two most useful tools were the calendar option (which allowed me to post test dates and field trips) and also the links page, which would direct students to places where they could access online texts for Shakespeare or Websters.com.
L.E. Leitz’s article, “Electronic Editing: Taking Advantage of Built-in Tools to Improve Student Writing” was helpful because it alerted me to a feature in Word that I didn’t even know exsisted. Before, I would often peer edit papers for friends and insert comments in red. Now, I can do a more professional editing job and one that doesn’t clutter the content of the original document. Another good part about inserting comments is that you can insert them verbally. This would be good for disabled students who have reading disabilities or who are blind.
The second site I visited, http://jimmoulton.org/1.html featured a bunch of sites just for teachers. Many seemed to be designed by other educators, and the main purpose of each was to use technology in the classroom.
I liked http://www.somers.k12.ny.us/intranet/Web_des/Web_PageHOME.html because it featured suggestions for educators when creating their own webpages.
I really liked the webpage design on Google. It was easy to use, and it although it took me awhile to complete my webpage, I learned a lot about web design. Perhaps the two most useful tools were the calendar option (which allowed me to post test dates and field trips) and also the links page, which would direct students to places where they could access online texts for Shakespeare or Websters.com.
L.E. Leitz’s article, “Electronic Editing: Taking Advantage of Built-in Tools to Improve Student Writing” was helpful because it alerted me to a feature in Word that I didn’t even know exsisted. Before, I would often peer edit papers for friends and insert comments in red. Now, I can do a more professional editing job and one that doesn’t clutter the content of the original document. Another good part about inserting comments is that you can insert them verbally. This would be good for disabled students who have reading disabilities or who are blind.
Student Created Video in the Classroom
The first site that I visited, http://www.techlearning.com/story/showArticle.php?articleID=18700330 was helpful because it explained how to teach movie making in the classroom without even needing a camcorder! The concept was introduced through a chart labeled “scaffolding.” Basically, students can be taught video making at a rudimentary level and then work their way up to using a camcorder and student crew of actors/cameramen, etc. The article suggests that a beginning video be created using images already provided for students from a CD-Rom, scanner, or the internet. Sound clips should also be provided, and guidelines for a simple text (storyboard). Students would familiarize themselves with the process of moviemaking and then gradually work their way up to being more independent filmmakers. Thus, while students may begin moviemaking with having everything provided for them, they would progress to creating their own files of images, sound bytes, and text before moving on to using camcorders. The article made sense in that it ensured that every classroom could make movies regardless of what equipment they may have, and also it made students familiar with the process of moviemaking before giving them all the fancy equipment. Two helpful websites were also provided for educators to use to find files online with moviemaking resources: www.teachercreated.com and www.schoolhousevideo.org.
http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/fil/pages/listdigitalpa.html was the second webpage I visited. It was a great place for educators to start if they wanted to incorporate video technology in their classroom. There were several subheadings that lead to a bunch of different resources. The headings were: Internet resources, glossary, resources, tips, articles, and educational videos and other samples. The glossary was especially helpful in explaining terms associated with filmmaking.
The last website I visited, http://eduwithtechn.wordpress.com/2007/05/21/youtube-classroom-video-collaboration/ was different than the others in that was more a persuasive article to get teachers to use video in their classrooms. However, it introduced and interesting concept: Why not have educators unite and create educational videos that could be posted on YouTube for other students and teachers to use? Then an educator could search for related videos. Examples the author included were the Underground Railroad and global warming. I had never considered using YouTube for educational purposes before, so I was glad that I read this article.
http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/fil/pages/listdigitalpa.html was the second webpage I visited. It was a great place for educators to start if they wanted to incorporate video technology in their classroom. There were several subheadings that lead to a bunch of different resources. The headings were: Internet resources, glossary, resources, tips, articles, and educational videos and other samples. The glossary was especially helpful in explaining terms associated with filmmaking.
The last website I visited, http://eduwithtechn.wordpress.com/2007/05/21/youtube-classroom-video-collaboration/ was different than the others in that was more a persuasive article to get teachers to use video in their classrooms. However, it introduced and interesting concept: Why not have educators unite and create educational videos that could be posted on YouTube for other students and teachers to use? Then an educator could search for related videos. Examples the author included were the Underground Railroad and global warming. I had never considered using YouTube for educational purposes before, so I was glad that I read this article.
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